I. Versions and variants

Since the Paris manuscript BNF Fr. 12265 reveals many revision stages, it was crucial for the editors to make explicit the main stages of revision in structure and content made by Émilie Du Châtelet, through establishing them as textual versions on their own, rather than placing them in the variant apparatus. On the one hand, this makes it easier for the reader to perceive the differences by presenting the versions as distinct texts, so that the reader does not need to reconstruct all revision stages from the entries in the variant apparatus, which at times is quite a complicated task. On the other hand, in order to analyze the differences between the revision stages in detail, the reader needs to compare the online edited versions by arranging them in separate windows on the screen or display. This might be demanding at times, yet it is still easier than reconstructing all revision stages from the variant apparatus.

However, in order to make the comparison between the distinct versions easier, we decided to offer, in these introductory notes, a survey of some striking differences between the versions. We continue to provide a variant apparatus, however, representing the finer-grained revisions made by Émilie Du Châtelet.

By consequently establishing versions as texts on their own, and as distinguished by the amount of changes in structure and content, we also establish revision stages as variants which might only consist of one word being changed.

We have identified nine revision stages in this chapter. There is an initial fair copy (siglum A), which then undergoes various revisions, leading to a final handwritten version (siglum G). In addition, there are the two published printed versions from 1740 and 1742 (sigla H and I). The final manuscript revision stage is available as a full version G, with also a main version A and the earlier revision stages available in the edition as variants.

II. Short survey of the main manuscript versions A and G

The first complete version of the chapter, Version A, exists as a "fair copy," meaning it is a carefully prepared and polished draft. However, this version was not written in du Châtelet's own handwriting; instead, it was produced by a copyist. Subsequently, the text underwent numerous revisions, all in du Châtelet's handwriting, as she reviewed and refined the content extensively. These meticulous corrections and enhancements led to the establishment of a new complete version of the chapter, Version G. This later version represents du Châtelet’s more developed and final vision for the chapter.

III. Some significant differences between versions

The A version is considerably longer than version G. The primary differences are found in the determination of the properties of cycloids. In version A, eight properties are presented, while in the revised version, only five are included. The ordering of the properties also varies across the seven manuscript versions of this chapter, indicated by multiple rewritings and corrections of the numerals assigned to each property. In these different versions and reconstructions of the cycloid properties—a curve traced by a point on the edge of a circular wheel in describing pendular motion—du Châtelet develops varied perspectives in relation to the approaches of Jean Bernoulli and Huygens on this subject.

IV. Note on the technical and editorial presentation of the edition

There are still changes to come in the technical presentation of the edition. The design and structure as well as the information implemented in the XML files will be refined. Due to the work required to program all these refinements, it will take some time until the final edition can be presented online. Also to be added is the commentary on the texts.

For now, we show a preliminary version, a work in progress, which is the basis for all future refinements.